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WYER 


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Bookplates  in  Iowa 


Bookplates  in  Iowa 


BY 

MALCOLM  G.  WYER 


WITH  A  CHAPTER  ON  THE  PLEASURES 

OF  COLLECTING 

BY 

T.  HENRY  FOSTER 


IF 


THE  TORCH  PRESS 

CEDAR  RAPIDS    IOWA 

1914 


Edition  limited  to  100  copies 


THE   TORCH    PRESS 

CEDAR     RAPIDS 

IOWA 


A  6 1? 

You  may  keep,  if  you  can,  all  the  good  I  contain,  ,  <> 

But  my  owner  might  wish  to  lend  me  again.  a  J 


Who  borrow  books  and  soon  restore 
May  come  again  and  borrow  more. 


If  this  is  borrowed  by  a  friend. 
Right  welcome  shall  he  be, 

To  read  and  study,  not  to  lend, 
But  to  return  to  me. 

Not  that  I  grudge  to  loan 
My  stock  of  learning's  store, 

But  books,  I  find,  if  once  re-lent. 
Return  to  me  no  more. 


John  James  Webster 
(He  does  not  lend   books) 


Ho  there !     Take  me  back  to  my  master. 


29677K 


'^H^^^  ^\hxPX^ 


[8] 


[  9  ] 


[lo] 


[m] 


[12] 


BOOKPLATES  IN  IOWA 


N  medieval  days  books  were 
chained  to  the  bookshelves  to 
protect  them  from  people  who 
might  borrow  and  fail  to  return 
them. 

In  these  later  times,  books  are 
loaned,  but  men  who  care  most  for  their  books 
and  wish  them  back  again  have  substituted  for 
the  chains  a  little  device  called  the  bookplate 
which  is  placed  on  the  inside  front  cover  of  a 
book  and  serves  as  a  mark  of  identification,  to 
insure  the  return  of  books  loaned,  mislaid,  or 
lost.  Such  a  device  may  contain  simply  the 
owner's  name  printed  on  a  slip  of  paper,  or  in 
addition  to  the  name  a  verse  such  as  those  printed 
above.  This  is  the  simplest  form  of  a  bookplate. 
The  bookplate  is  no  innovation  of  the  modern 
faddist,  looking  for  a  bookish  hobby  to  ride; 
but  it  is  as  old  as  the  invention  of  printing. 

The  earliest  bookplates  were  in  German  mon- 
asteries. Cardinal  Wolsey  was  the  first  Eng- 
lishman who  is  known  to  have  had  one.  Wil- 
liam Penn  and  George  Washington  were  among 
the  early  Americans  who  had  plates  and  of 
course  examples  of  theirs  are  much  sought  after 
by  collectors.  In  1863  a  counterfeit  of  Wash- 
ington's plate  was  made  and  a  number  of  books 

[■3] 


containing  it  were  advertised  at  an  auction  sale, 
with  the  expectation  that  they  would  realize 
high  prices.  An  expert  attended  the  sale,  how- 
ever, detected  the  fraud,  and  denounced  it  in  the 
auction  room. 

The  field  of  the  bookplate  is  an  attractive  one 
for  the  collector.  The  primary  appeal  is  in  the 
interest  that  attaches  to  the  associations  con- 
nected with  books,  and  their  owners.  The  book- 
plate of  David  Garrick  or  of  Dickens  enhances 
the  interest  of  the  book  it  is  in  and  increases  the 
satisfaction  of  the  owner  of  the  book,  quite  as 
much  as  a  signature  would. 

A  few  years  ago  the  writer  secured,  at  an 
auction  sale,  some  books  which  had  belonged  to 
Richard  Le  Gallienne,  each  of  w^hich  contained 
a  bookplate  inserted  by  Mr.  Le  Gallienne  when 
he  parted  with  his  books.  The  bookplate  con- 
sisted of  a  poem  written  by  him  for  the  occasion. 
It  is  reproduced  here. 

Some  collectors  aim  to  secure  the  bookplates 
of  famous  men  and  are  delighted  when  they  can 
find  plates  of  Walpole,  Gladstone,  Bismarck, 
Carlyle,  Tennyson,  Hugo,  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes,  Henry  Irving,  Edwin  Booth,  or  Eu- 
gene Field. 

Others  are  interested  in  the  work  of  the  artists 
who  have  designed  the  plate  and  they  will  treas- 
ure the  work  of  Bartolozzi,  Bewick,  Diirer,  Sir 
Christopher  Wren,  and  others.  Artists  have  al- 
ways considered  that  bookplate  designing  offered 
sufficient  scope  for  the  exercise  of  their  genius. 
Walter  Crane,  Aubrey  Beardsley,  Kate  Green- 

[  u] 


EX  LIBRIS  R.  Le  G. 

Multum  tile  it  ttrris  jatiatui  et  alio, 
yi  sufierum,  saevae  memorem  Junonis  cb  iratn: 
Multa  quoque  et  hello  passus,  dum  conderel  urb/m, 
Inferretque  deoi  Lath ;  .  .  . 


Having  no  home,  what  should  I  do  with  these. 
Tossed  as  I  am  about  the  sounding  seas. 
Sport  of  exiling  winds  of  change  and  chance- 
Feet  in  America,  and  heart  in  France. 
Homeless,  'tis  meet  I  lind  my  books  a  home 
Coffined  in  crates  and  cases  long  they  lay. 
Distant  from  me  three  thousand  miles  'of  foam. 
Dungeoned  in  cellars  cold  and  nailed  away. 
As  in  a  sepulchre,  till  Judgment  Day. 
Lost  to  their  gentle  uses  in  the  tomb, 
Cobwebbed  companions  of  the  spidered  gloom. 
At  lastlhcy  itse  again  to  live  once  more,— 
Dread  resurreflion  of  the  auction  room. 

Books  I  have  loved  so  well,  my  love  so  true 

Tells  me  't  is  time  that  I  should  part  from  you. 

No  longer,  selfish,  hoard  and  use  you  not. 

Nor  leave  you  in  the  unlettered  dark  to  rot. 

But  into  alien  keeping  you  resign  — 

Hands  that  love  books,  fear  not,  no  less  than  mine. 

Thus  shall  you  live  upon  warm  shelves  again. 
And  'neath  an  evening  lamp  your  pages  glow. 
Others  shall  press  'twixt  leaf  and  leaf  soft  flowers. 
As  I  was  wont  to  press  them  long  ago  , 
And  blessings  be  upon  the  eyes  that  rain 
A  tear  upon  my  flowers  —  I  mean  on  "ours"  — 
If  haply  here  and  there  kind  eyes  shall  find 
Some  sad  old  flower  that  I  have  left  behind. 

A/.I),    1905  RICHARD    LE    GAI.LlE.NNf 


[15] 


[i6] 


away,  Phil  May,  Thackeray  have  all  designed 
plates.  In  America,  Edwin  A.  Abbey,  Elihu 
Vedder,  Will  Low,  Louis  Rhead,  and  Maxfield 
Parrish  are  among  the  prominent  artists  who 
have  devoted  some  time  to  designing  bookplates. 

The  gathering  of  examples  of  children's  book- 
plates is  an  attractive  bypath  for  the  collector. 
These  plates  are  often  most  unusual  and  quaint 
in  their  design  and  well  repay  the  trouble  in 
securing  them.  An  interesting  child's  book- 
plate is  shown  in  the  illustration  of  the  bookplate 
of  Margaret  Elizabeth  Longeway.  The  subject 
is  most  appropriate  and  the  design  by  Miss  Vera 
Cady,  of  Council  Blufifs,  is  excellent.  And  many 
interest  themselves  in  bookplates  designed  by 
women,  an  entire  book,  indeed,  having  been  de- 
voted to  this  phase  of  the  subject. 

Every  method  employed  in  the  illustration  of 
books,  from  the  woodcut  down  to  the  modern 
photo-mechanical  process,  is  used  for  bookplates 
also;  and  a  collection  of  bookplates  is  an  inter- 
esting study  for  one  who  appreciates  the  strength 
of  the  woodcut,  the  polished  elegance  of  the  line 
engraving,  the  freedom  and  delicacy  of  the  etch- 
ing, and  the  informality  of  the  process  block. 

This  many-sided  appeal  of  the  bookplate  has 
been  too  much  for  the  collector  to  resist  and  the 
in-terest  is  growing  rapidly  all  over  the  world. 
The  collection  in  the  British  museum  numbers 
over  200,000  specimens  and  the  collections  range 
from  this  to  the  few  plates  owned  by  those  who 
have  just  fallen  under  the  spell. 

Thomas  Bailey  Aldrich  pokes  fun  at  the  book- 

[17] 


plate  collector  with  the  remark,  "The  fool  and 
his  bookplate  are  soon  parted."  This  comment, 
however,  is  directed  against  those  who  have  a 
bookplate,  not  so  much  to  put  in  their  books  as 
to  exchange  for  the  plates  of  others.  This  prac- 
tice is  not  so  common  in  America  as  in  Germany, 
where  an  individual  will  often  own  as  many  as 
thirty  different  plates,  most  of  which  are  never 
used  in  books  but  are  simply  for  exchange. 

It  is  perfectly  proper,  however,  to  have  several 
bookplates  and  still  not  deserve  the  epithet  ap- 
plied by  Mr.  Aldrich.  A  physician  may  have 
one  plate  for  his  professional  library  and  another 
for  his  books  of  general  literature.  Dr.  Henry 
Albert,  of  Iowa  City,  thus  has  two  plates.  The 
one  for  the  home  library  is  planned  for  the  joint 
use  of  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Albert;  through  the  window 
may  be  seen  their  home;  in  the  room  their  libra- 
ry table  and  black  cat.  In  the  bookplate  for  Dr. 
Albert's  medical  library  is  pictured  the  staff 
with  serpent  entwined,  the  symbol  of  j^sculapi- 
us,  the  god  of  medicine.  This  represents  an- 
cient traditional  medicine  while  the  microscope 
in  the  foreground  represents  and  emphasizes 
modern  scientific  medicine.  Mrs.  Zella  Allen 
Dixson,  one  of  the  most  enthusiastic  advocates  of 
the  bookplate  in  America,  has,  in  addition  to  a 
general  bookplate,  an  exquisite  etching  of  a  hill- 
side and  lake  on  her  girlhood  home,  which  she 
uses  for  her  special  collection  of  nature  books. 

The  question  is  often  asked.  What  sort  of  a 
bookplate  should  a  person  have?  A  bookplate 
is  the  result  of  an  impulse  to  impart  to  books 

[i8] 


something  of  the  individuality  of  the  owner  and 
hence  it  should  in  some  way  express  his  char- 
acter and  taste.  The  personality  of  the  designer 
usually  enters  in  also  and  a  perfect  bookplate 
suggests  at  once  the  owner  and  the  artist.  The 
design  should  possess  either  some  striking  in- 
dividuality or  some  special  beauty  and  it  should 
be  w^ell  executed.  It  should  not  attempt  too 
much,  should  not  too  obviously  convey  the  whole 
history  of  the  owner.  As  C.  D.  Allen,  the  au- 
thority on  the  subject,  says,  "One  sometimes  sees 
a  plate  that  has  so  much  of  the  life's  history  of 
the  owner  within  its  small  compass,  that  at  a 
glance  it  is  evident  to  all  that  he  glories  in  golf, 
has  a  regard  for  roses,  rides  a  wheel,  esteems 
Omar  Khayyam  very  highly,  reads  Scott  and 
Lowell,  can  quote  from  Shakespeare,  has  been 
to  Switzerland,  collects  butterflies,  and  lives  in 
New  Jersey."  So  much  of  self-advertisement 
hampers  the  artist  by  over-loading  the  plate. 
However,  a  skilful  artist  may  include  a  number 
of  points  of  personal  interest,  in  an  unobtrusive 
manner,  so  that  the  biographical  facts  are  almost 
unnoticed  by  strangers,  yet  are  understood  per- 
fectly by  the  family  and  close  friends.  A  good 
example  of  this  is  the  plate  of  H.  L.  Waterman, 
of  Ottumwa,  which  indicates  the  study  of  engi- 
neering at  Harvard,  service  in  the  United  States 
signal  corps,  and  the  arrival  in  America  in  1632 
of  the  Waterman  family. 

The  plate  of  Mr.  J.  L.  Powers,  of  Cedar  Rap- 
ids, also  has  a  number  of  biographical  facts 
worked  quietly  into  the  decorative  scheme.    The 

[19] 


[20] 


[21] 


EX  LIBRIS 


ROBEKTIIII 
BURJDETTE 
DALEIIIIII 


INTHEBOOKl 
READ<THE(Sm 
THXIGHT  RE^ 
TURNS  TOME 
<ASEVERyillll 
TRUTH  WILL- 
THE  IMAGE  OF 
TEWiXESOL 


[22] 


emu. 

[23] 


plate  was  designed  by  Mr.  Powers's  daughter  and 
among  other  things  it  shows  that  one  ancestor 
signed  the  petition  to  King  Charles  the  second 
for  the  first  charter  of  Connecticut,  another  an- 
cestor was  a  soldier  in  the  Revolutionary  War, 
that  he  himself  was  born  in  Ohio  and  follows  the 
occupation  of  printing,  in  Iowa. 

Two  tendencies  to  avoid  are,  a  desire  on  the 
part  of  the  owner  to  overcrowd  the  plate,  and  on 
the  part  of  the  artist  to  place  too  much  emphasis 
on  the  decorative  feature.  The  plate  should 
contain  the  name  of  the  owner,  and  may  have  a 
favorite  motto,  a  portrait  of  the  owner,  a  picture 
of  the  favorite  scene,  rows  of  books  with  names 
of  favorite  authors,  an  indication  of  a  hobby  or 
some  special  interests. 

The  design  should  be  simple,  dignified,  and 
appropriate  to  the  medium  chosen  for  reproduc- 
tion. The  copper  or  steel  engraving  is  best 
adapted  to  the  formal,  stately,  dignified  style, 
and  has  been  employed  by  iVmerican  designers 
from  the  time  of  Paul  Revere,  who  was  one  of 
the  first  bookplate  designers  in  America.  The 
copper  plates  of  the  late  E.  D.  French  and  of  the 
late  J.  W.  Spenceley  are  considered  to  be  the 
most  artistic  and  best  executed  bookplates  pro- 
duced in  America.  Some  of  their  finest  work  is 
a  combination,  on  the  same  plate,  of  engraving 
and  etching.  The  etched  plates  of  Sidney  L. 
Smith,  of  Boston,  and  the  woodcuts  of  W.  F. 
Hopson  are  highly  prized.  The  success  of  an 
engraved  or  an  etched  plate  depends  nearly  as 
much  upon  the  skill  of  the  engraver  as  upon  the 

[24] 


artist's  drawing,  and  first  class  artists  insist  that 
the  engraving  or  etching  of  their  designs  shall 
be  done  by  themselves  or  under  their  close  super- 
vision. Unfortunately  the  high  cost  of  such 
plates  places  them  beyond  the  reach  of  the  per- 
son of  ordinary  means. 

On  the  other  hand  the  engraving  or  etching 
has  its  limitations  and  the  photomechanical  pro- 
cess plate  allows  greater  freedom  of  expression, 
more  versatility,  and  a  greater  variety. 

For  these  reasons,  as  well  as  because  of  the 
comparatively  small  expense,  most  bookplates  to- 
day are  reproduced  from  the  artist's  drawing  by 
one  of  the  photographic  processes.  The  chief 
danger  is  a  tendency  to  freakish  and  grotesque 
decorations,  on  account  of  the  ease  with  which 
the  reproduction  is  made.  The  process  plate 
succeeds  well  in  expressing  the  strength  and 
beauty  of  such  artists  and  illustrators  as  Walter 
Crane,  Maxfield  Parrish,  Elihu  Vedder,  E.  A. 
Abbey,  and  Louis  Rhead. 

The  cost  of  a  bookplate  varies  of  course  with 
the  size  and  intricacy  of  design  and  the  method 
of  reproducing  it.  A  plain  printed  name  label 
is  of  trifling  expense,  and  the  cost  for  a  simple 
design  mechanically  reproduced  is  about  $io; 
the  price  ranges  from  this  up  to  $150  or  $200 
charged  for  the  more  elaborate  engravings  or 
etchings. 

It  is  impossible  to  say  how  long  bookplates 
have  been  used  in  Iowa,  but  Theodore  S.  Parvin, 
so  active  in  the  early  history  of  Iowa,  and  found- 
er of  the  famous  Masonic  Library  at  Cedar  Rap- 

[25] 


ids,  was  perhaps  the  first  lowan  who  employed 
this  method  of  indicating  the  ownership  of  his 
books.  Mr.  Parvin's  plate  was  a  very  simple 
printed  label. 

I  have  lately  received  from  Mr.  T.  H.  Foster 
a  plate  which  also  was  one  of  the  early  ones  in 
this  state.  It  belonged  to  the  late  J.  H.  Merrill 
who  came  to  Ottumwa  from  the  east  many  years 
ago.  The  plate  is  an  armorial  one,  simply  the 
coat  of  arms  of  the  Merrill  family. 

Ottumwa,  under  the  inspiration  of  Mr.  T. 
Henry  Foster  and  of  the  illustrator,  Mr.  C.  E, 
Chambers,  has  long  been  the  bookplate  center  of 
the  state.  Mr.  Foster  is  one  of  the  well  known 
bookplate  collectors  of  the  country.  He  has  him- 
self designed  some  plates  and  he  is  the  owner  of 
a  plate  by  J.  W.  Spenceley  —  illustrated  here  — 
a  dainty  little  etching  of  an  old  mill  and  pond, 
a  beautiful  example  of  Mr.  Spenceley's  nature 
work. 

Mr.  C.  E.  Chambers,  now  of  New  York,  is 
one  of  the  successful  illustrators  of  the  leading 
magazines,  and  the  creator  of  the  well  known  il- 
lustrations of  the  Get-Rich-Quick  Wallingford 
stories.  He  was  recently  sent  to  England  by 
Harper's  for  the  preparation  of  illustrations,  and 
the  illustrations,  some  of  which  are  colored,  for 
Arnold  Bennett's  new  story,  "the  Price  of  Love," 
which  appeared  serially  in  Harper's  Magazine^ 
are  examples  of  his  latest  work.  He  formerly 
made  his  home  in  Ottumwa  and  has  designed 
bookplates  for  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  H.  Morrell, 
Mr,  H.  L.  Waterman,  Mr.  Foster,  and  others. 

[26] 


iMiss  Bertlia  iMorey,  another  Ottumwa  artist 
and  craftsworker,  has  shown  great  interest  in 
bookplates,  and  a  numberof  attractive  bookplates 
of  Ottumwa  people  have  been  designed  by  her. 
The  plate  of  Mr.  Merrill  C.  Gilmore  is  a  char- 
acteristic example  of  her  work. 

Another  very  interesting  Ottumwa  plate  is 
that  of  J.  B.  Sax,  designed  by  Carol  M.  Sax.  It 
has  the  desired  touch  of  individuality  because 
the  frame  is  that  of  an  old  mirror,  an  heirloom 
in  the  family,  and  the  reflection  in  the  mirror  is 
a  corner  of  the  library  in  Mr.  Sax's  home. 

Cedar  Rapids  also  has  a  coterie  of  bookplate 
lovers.  Mr.  Luther  A.  Brewer,  of  the  Cedar 
Rapids  Republican^  and  Mr.  William  H.  Miner, 
of  The  Torch  Press  Bookshop  —  with  their  cus- 
tomary interest  in  all  bookish  matters  — have 
more  than  one  bookplate.  One  of  Mr.  Brewer's 
plates  is  a  copper  engraving  designed  by  Mr. 
Harry  French.  Mr.  French,  although  at  pres- 
ent a  resident  of  California,  is  properly  consid- 
ered an  Iowa  bookplate  designer,  as  he  formerly 
made  his  home  in  Cedar  Rapids  and  his  family 
live  there  now.  He  designed  several  plates 
while  still  living  in  Cedar  Rapids  and  altogether 
has  thirty  or  forty  plates  to  his  credit.  His 
work,  always  original  in  design  and  with  the  ex- 
ecution of  a  true  artist,  is  most  creditable  and 
secures  for  the  artist  a  high  rank  among  book- 
plate designers.  Mr.  Brewer  has  two  other 
bookplates  both  designed  by  Mr.  Martin  Justice. 
One  of  these,  in  three  colors,  is  an  interior  which 
pictures  a  woman  sitting  before  a  bookcase  with 

[27] 


T-HENRY  FOSTER 


[28] 


[29] 


i 


F 


[30] 


[3'] 


an  open  book  in  her  lap  and  with  the  initials  of 
the  name  and  of  the  motto  rubricated.  One  of 
Mr.  Miner's  plates  bears  a  picture  of  himself 
standing  in  The  Torch  Press  Bookshop  with  his 
autograph  below  and  also  with  his  monogram 
device. 

Mr.  Martin  Justice,  the  well  known  New 
York  illustrator,  was  formerly  a  resident  of  Ce- 
dar Rapids  and  at  that  time  designed  a  bookplate 
for  Mr.  Lew  W.  Anderson.  Mr.  Anderson's 
daughter,  Mary  Eloise,  has  a  very  interesting 
bookplate  too.  In  recent  years  Mrs.  Bertha  Hull 
Warren  has  designed  several  plates  for  Cedar 
Rapids  friends  —  as  well  as  for  many  people  out- 
side of  Iowa.  Mrs.  Warren,  whose  home  is 
Cedar  Rapids,  is  an  artist  of  reputation,  a  grad- 
uate of  the  Normal  Art  Course  of  Pratt  Insti- 
tute, and  for  several  years  was  in  charge  of  the 
art  department  of  the  State  Normal  School  at 
Ypsilanti,  Mich.  Her  interest  in  art  is  not 
wholly  confined  to  bookplate  designing,  for  she 
is  giving  attention  also  to  arts  and  crafts  work  — 
especially  in  wood,  copper,  and  jewelry.  The 
plates  represented  here  are  typical  examples  of 
her  work,  which  is  in  the  pictorial  style.  Mrs. 
Warren's  plates  make  a  very  pleasing  group,  or- 
iginal in  design,  with  a  wide  variety  of  bookish 
motifs  —  such  as  the  book  pile  —  cozy  corner  be- 
fore an  open  fire  —  window  shelf  with  open  win- 
dow, etc.,  and  each  design  carefully  worked  out 
to  the  smallest  detail.  The  lettering  is  especially 
good. 

The  bookplate  of  Judge  and  Mrs.  C.  B.  Rob- 

[32] 


bins  possesses  the  personal  element  so  much  de- 
sired in  a  bookplate.  It  pictures  a  child  — 
drawn  from  a  photograph  of  their  little  girl  — 
reaching  up  to  some  books  on  a  table.  The  de- 
sign was  made  by  Mrs.  Ingersoll,  formerly  Miss 
E.  K.  Hess,  of  Chicago,  who  also  designed  the 
bookplate  of  Mrs.  Robbins's  sister.  Miss  Anna 
Larrabee. 

Other  Cedar  Rapids  plates  are  those  belong- 
ing to  the  late  Mrs.  Emma  M.  Van  Vechten  and 
Mr.  J  .L.  Powers,  already  mentioned.  The  Ma- 
sonic Library  possesses  a  notable  collection  of 
books  about  bookplates. 

In  Des  Moines  there  are  a  number  of  book- 
plates also.  Miss  Alice  S.  Tyler  —  for  many 
years  secretary  of  the  Iowa  Library  Commis- 
sion but  now  a  resident  of  Cleveland,  Ohio  — 
is  the  owner  of  a  bookplate  designed  by  C. 
Valentine  Kirby,  of  Buffalo,  whose  bookplates 
are  attracting  attention  throughout  the  country. 
The  decorative  plates  of  Harriet  Louise  Ankeny 
and  Harriet  Ankeny  Clark  are  pleasing  and 
worthy  of  mention.  Originality  is  shown  by 
Miss  Emilie  B.  Stapp  of  the  Des  Moines  Cap- 
ital in  her  interesting  little  plate  filled  with  chil- 
dren's figures.  Miss  Stapp  has  another  plate  in 
preparation.  The  attitude  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
James  B.  Weaver  toward  their  books  can  be 
guessed  from  the  motto  on  their  bookplate, 
"Medicine  for  the  soul."  "Ding,"  the  cartoonist 
of  the  Register  and  Leader^  occasionally  designs 
a  bookplate  for  a  friend. 

An  attractive  library  interior  is  seen  in  the 

[33] 


plate  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  J.  Howe,  of  Mar- 
shalltown,  designed  by  Ralph  Fletcher  Seymour, 
the  well-known  Chicago  artist.  This  shows  one 
end  of  their  library,  with  book  shelves,  table 
strewn  with  books,  reading  lamp  and  easy  chair, 
framed  with  a  conventionalized  border. 

This  does  not  aim  to  be  a  checklist  or  a  catalog 
of  Iowa  bookplates  and  so  it  is  not  possible  to 
describe  or  even  to  name  all  of  the  bookplates  of 
the  state.  But  special  attention  is  directed  to  the 
plate  of  Mary  Russell  Perkins,  of  Burlington, 
which  appears  as  the  frontispiece.  This  beauti- 
ful engraving  of  a  favorite  mountain  scene  of  the 
owner  is  designed  by  Mr.  A.  N.  Macdonald,  of 
East  Orange,  N.J. 

The  pure  armorial  style  is  shown  in  the  plate 
of  Miss  Caroline  L.  Dodge,  of  Council  Bluffs, 
while  that  of  Horace  Harper  and  Eleanor  Read- 
ing Jarvis,  of  Sioux  City,  and  also  that  of  Miss 
Anna  Larrabee,  of  Clermont,  exhibit  a  modern 
adaptation  of  the  use  of  the  family  coat  of  arms. 
Mr.  John  Taylor  Adams,  of  Dubuque,  has  most 
effectively  elaborated  the  plain  name  label  by 
surrounding  the  engraved  name  with  a  dignified, 
beautifully  engraved  frame. 

Mr.  A.  E.  Ellis,  of  Charles  City,  makes  use  of 
an  attractive  nature  scene.  A  quaint  subject 
plate  is  that  of  John  Springer,  of  Iowa  City,  the 
veteran  printer  of  Iowa.  In  a  printing  shop 
two  printers  are  absorbed  in  reading  a  page  of 
proof  that  has  just  been  struck  off.  This  plate 
was  drawn  by  Mr.  Theo.  D.  Boal  in  1888,  after 
a  trade  card  in  La  Typologie-Tucker^  Paris. 

[34] 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Horace  M.  Towner,  of  Corn- 
ing, Mr.  Ralph  B.  Cram,  of  Davenport,  and  Mr. 
Robert  B.  Dale,  of  Ames,  are  other  owners  of 
bookplates. 

The  bookplate  for  the  public  or  college  library 
is  not  usually  so  interesting  as  the  personal  plate 
because  it  is  an  official  label  rather  than  a  mark 
of  individuality.  The  seal  of  the  city  for  the 
public,  or  of  the  institution  for  the  college  li- 
brary is  often  used  as  a  bookplate.  Many  li- 
braries, however,  provide  a  special  bookplate  for 
gifts  in  order  to  do  honor  to  the  donor  and  to  en- 
courage other  gifts.  Grinnell  College,  Red 
Oak,  and  Cornell  College  have  such  plates.  The 
Iowa  City  public  library  has  a  beautiful  en- 
graved plate  which  was  provided  by  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  W.  J.  Welch  to  accompany  their  gift,  the 
Patterson  Memorial  collection. 

The  writer  has  found  much  pleasure  in  secur- 
ing bookplates  owned  or  designed  by  residents 
of  Iowa,  and  has  been  much  surprised  at  the 
large  number  found.  This  Iowa  collection  has 
gradually  increased  until  it  numbers  nearly  one 
hundred  plates  of  individuals  and  probably  a 
great  many  more  are  still  to  be  secured.  Un- 
doubtedly the  use  of  the  bookplate  is  growing 
more  common  in  Iowa  and  it  is  evidence  that  the 
artistic  possibilities  of  the  bookplate  are  appre- 
ciated in  this  state  when  such  artists  as  Spenceley, 
R.  F.  Seymour,  C.  Valentine  Kirby,  C.  E.  Cham- 
bers, Martin  Justice,  A.  N.  Macdonald,  and 
Mrs.  Bertha  E.  Jacques  are  represented  among 
the  designers  of  Iowa  bookplates. 

[35] 


]    cTxJf3ri.^  \ 


iij 


[36] 


THE  VARRENS 

ONE  on  HEIR  BOOKS 


[37] 


j.H.j:  WtM 


[38] 


.^^ 


1  HARRIET  COLETOWAER 


w  a^' 


[39] 


Medicine 

I    t(    Q    f 

■or   he  OouL 

^P 

^^^r 

^  W 

r 

J 

i^ '  ■■ 

A 
V 

E 
R 

A 

T 
K 

S 

EX  =  Ui[^DS-- 

[40] 


THE  PLEASURES  OF  COLLECTING 


ORE  than  likely  we  are  indebted 
to  Germany  for  the  invention  of 
bookplates,  the  earliest  known  ex- 
ample being  that  of  Hans  Igler, 
about  1450,  and,  therefore,  they 
are  as  old  as  the  art  of  printing 
itself.  It  was  not  until  1820  that  any  serious  at- 
tempt at  collecting  was  made,  and  to  a  Miss  Jen- 
kins, of  Bath,  England,  belongs  the  honor  of  be- 
ing the  first  bookplate  collector.  It  is  nearly 
forty  years  since  the  first  publication  dealing 
with  bookplates  appeared  in  France;  five  years 
later  the  first  work  in  English  was  published. 
As  long  ago  as  1892,  in  the  opening  lines  of  his 
well-known  work  on  bookplates,  W.  J.  Hardy 
said  that  collecting  in  England  was  a  thing  of  the 
past.  Since  that  time,  however,  the  English  Ex 
Libris  Society  flourished  and  went  out  of  exist- 
ence; scores  of  books,  monographs,  and  period- 
icals have  been  published  both  here  and  in  for- 
eign parts,  and  interest  in  the  subject,  in  our 
country  at  least,  has  continued  unabated  as  is  at- 
tested by  the  recent  formation  of  the  American 
Bookplate  Society,  which  numbers  among  its 
members  no  less  a  personage  than  ex-President 
Taft.  In  the  far  west,  too,  we  have  had  for 
years  another  similar,  though  smaller,  organiza- 

[41] 


tion  in  the  California  Bookplate  Society,  a  co- 
terie of  enthusiastic  Californians  who  keep  in- 
terest in  the  subject  very  much  alive  on  the  Pa- 
cific Coast. 

There  are  certain  qualifications  required  in 
the  collecting  of  bookplates,  the  possession  of 
which  regulates,  to  a  very  large  extent,  the 
amount  of  success  attained  by  collectors  in  this 
delightful  field.  Observation  has  led  me  to  be- 
lieve that  the  most  important  of  these  is  perse- 
verance. It  is  in  fact  so  preeminently  impor- 
tant that  the  others  need  not  be  referred  to  here. 
The  beginner  at  collecting  may  think  that  I  have 
arbitrarily  dismissed  the  other  qualifications  and 
am  taking  an  unfair  advantage  of  him,  but,  as 
we  get  further  into  the  subject,  I  hope  to  show 
that  my  point  is  well  taken. 

Something,  possibly,  ought  to  be  said  at  this 
time  about  the  morality  of  bookplate  collecting 
and  the  influence  it  exercises  on  collectors  in  gen- 
eral. There  is  an  old  maxim  to  the  effect  that 
whatever  is  right  needs  no  defense.  That  may 
be  very  true,  but  whether  the  need  exists  or  not 
we  are  ever  ready  to  fly  to  the  defense  of  what- 
ever we  believe  to  be  right,  and  so  because  book- 
plate collectors  and  bookplate  collecting  have 
from  time  immemorial  been  held  in  low  esteem 
by  a  certain  class  of  critics  I  have  always  felt  like 
taking  up  the  cudgel  in  their  defense. 

The  principal  charge  against  collectors  (and 
really  the  only  one)  is  that  of  vandalism.  I 
doubt  if  any  collector  now-a-days  wilfully  de- 
stroys a  book,  the  destruction  of  which  means  a 

[42] 


loss.  There  are  in  cellars  and  attics  the  world 
over  thousands  of  moldy  tomes,  many  of  which 
contain  beautiful  specimens  of  the  engraver's  art 
in  the  shape  of  bookplates  or  prints,  that  will 
never  see  the  light  of  day  if  some  persevering 
collector  does  not  hunt  them  out  for  the  treasures 
they  contain.  Better  this  be  called  vandalism 
than  that  these  volumes  perish  from  the  ravages 
of  time  and  vermin! 

Some  years  ago  I  addressed  a  humble  letter  to 
a  then  living  American  poet,  whose  fame  has 
long  since  been  firmly  established,  asking  him  for 
his  plate  and  proffering  my  own  in  exchange. 
There  was  a  long  silence  and  the  matter  passed 
from  my  mind.  Then,  like  a  bolt  out  of  a  clear 
sky,  came  a  scathing  letter  directed  at  the  whole 
tribe  of  bookplate  collectors,  condemning  the 
cult  in  no  uncertain  terms  and  proposing  that  to 
be  in  possession  of  another's  bookplate  was  a 
crime,  and  that  bookplates  belonged  first,  last, 
and  all  the  time  in  the  books  of  their  owners  and 
nowhere  else.  I  accepted  the  indictment  with- 
out reply  and  the  incident  was  closed.  Not  long 
afterward  the  good  poet  passed  to  his  reward,  his 
.  library  was  sold,  and  the  books,  each  containing 
one  of  the  coveted  ex  libris,  were  hawked  around 
by  the  dealers  and  some  ofifered  for  as  little  as 
fifty  cents  apiece.  And  so  "fleet  the  works  of 
man  back  to  earth  again"  and  his  bookplates  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  collector.  I  have  referred 
to  this  experience  in  connection  with  the  moral- 
ity of  bookplate  collecting  because  it  proves  so 
conclusively  that  when  the  owner  of  a  bookplate 

[43] 


is  importuned  for  an  exchange  it  is  well  for  him 
to  acquiesce  —  and  he  helps  to  promote  good  fel- 
lowship. 

If  space  permitted  I  could  recall  a  good  many 
incidents  of  an  entirely  opposite  nature  to  the  one 
just  related.  I  have  often  received  a  courteous 
reply  with  a  specimen  of  the  desired  plate  when 
it  was  least  expected.  I  once  ventured  a  request 
to  the  wife  of  a  former  president  of  the  United 
States  whose  plate  was  and  is  very  much  sought 
after,  not  only  on  account  of  the  prominence  of 
the  owner,  but  because  it  was  done  by  the  hand  of 
one  of  our  most  highly  esteemed  and  beloved  en- 
gravers. Almost  by  return  post  came  a  letter 
from  her  secretary  enclosing  the  plate,  thanking 
me  for  mine  and  requesting  that  I  refrain  from 
making  known  to  other  collectors  that  the  first 
lady  of  the  land  had  favored  me  as  it  had  been 
her  rule  not  to  make  exchanges.  The  reply  was 
so  gracious  and  so  informal  that  it  forever 
strengthened  my  faith  in  democratic  institutions. 
Needless  to  say,  I  respected  the  request  and  after- 
ward when  exhibiting  my  collection  I  was  al- 
ways careful  to  slip  Mrs.  President's  plate  out 
and  hide  it  away. 

Having  refuted  the  charge  that  collecting 
bookplates  is  a  criminal  occupation  it  might  be 
well  for  us  to  consider  the  rewards  of  this  fas- 
cinating pursuit  that  has  claimed  the  attention 
and  interest  of  hundreds  of  collectors  both  in  this 
country  and  in  Europe  for  the  past  twenty-five 
years.  The  beginner,  I  know,  is  apt  to  become 
discouraged,  and  the  difficulties  in  the  way  of 

[44] 


getting  together  a  really  valuable  collection  of 
fine  plates  seem  at  first  insurmountable;  but  once 
the  collecting  spirit  has  gotten  control  of  him,  no 
path  is  too  rough  to  follow  —  no  height  too  diffi- 
cult to  attain.  And  so  it  is  that  as  his  gatherings 
increase  in  number  they  likewise  increase  in 
value;  for  he  who  yesterday  was  quite  content 
with  the  unpretentious  "process"  plate  is  now 
satisfied  with  nothing  less  than  the  fine  impres- 
sion direct  from  the  wood  or  copper.  And  these, 
if  they  be  chosen  with  an  appreciation  for  their 
artistic  qualities  —  as  a  connoisseur  in  paintings 
chooses  his  Corot,  Gainsborough,  Millet,  or  Van 
Dyck  —  can  never  be  worth  less  than  they  cost 
and  must  ever  continue  to  warm  the  heart  and 
delight  the  eye.  One  of  our  most  discriminating 
American  collectors  once  remarked  that  "the  joy 
of  collecting  lies  not  in  possession  but  in  pur- 
suit." Be  that  as  it  may,  if  the  pursuit  be  a  joy- 
ous one  it  will  eventually  have  its  reward,  meas- 
ured only  by  the  amount  of  perseverance  ex- 
pended. What  can  give  more  real  enjoyment 
after  years  of  diligent  search,  even  to  the  far  cor- 
ners of  the  earth,  than  to  hold  in  one's  hands  that 
treasure  so  long  sought  and  so  highly  prized  — 
miniature  gem  of  the  engraver's  art  —  breathing 
the  very  spirit  of  the  master  workman  who  gave 
it  life! 

I  very  much  like  Mr.  Wyer's  definition,  found 
elsewhere  in  this  volume,  that  a  bookplate  is  the 
result  of  an  impulse  to  impart  to  books  some- 
thing of  the  individuality  of  the  owner,  and  his 
further  suggestion  that  the  bookplate  should  in 

[45] 


[46] 


[47] 


Helen  L^rr^Jjcc  tr 
Gh».rlc5  Burt  on 


Their  Book 


[48] 


[49] 


some  way  express  the  owner's  character  and 
taste.  Many  a  plate,  however,  has  been  spoiled 
by  overdoing  the  personal  element  and  after  all 
the  most  pleasing  and  satisfactory  designs  are 
those  which,  rather  than  immediately  proclaim 
their  ownership  to  the  beholder,  attract  his  at- 
tention and  set  him  thinking  like  a  nom  de 
plume  beneath  the  title  of  some  good  story.  It 
is  certainly  anything  but  good  taste  to  burden  a 
plate  with  a  surplus  of  the  commonplace  and  the 
simpler  and  more  dignified  the  design  the  better 
the  impression  it  makes.  There  is  no  better 
proof  of  this  than  is  to  be  found  in  the  beautiful 
and  well-known  ex  libris^  of  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes,  a  simple  motto-scroll  on  which  is  let- 
tered. Per  Ampliora  ad  Altiora^  and  above  a  del- 
icately engraved  nautilus,  that  "ship  of  pearl" 
that 

"flings 
On  the  sweet  summer  wind  its  purpled  wings." 

What  could  possibly  be  more  personal,  and  at 
the  same  time  unassuming? 

I  am  fully  convinced  that  nowhere  in  the 
realms  of  collecting  is  there  any  field  that  pays 
such  large  dividends  on  the  capital  invested  as 
that  of  the  bookplate.  The  recompense  at  all 
events  is  ample,  especially  when  compared  with 
the  returns  to  be  had  from  collecting  coins, 
stamps,  autographs,  or  other  things  that  have 
little  or  no  intrinsic  worth  and  are  valued  only 
on  account  of  association,  rarity,  or  antiquity. 
Bookplates,  if  collected  with  a  delicate  discrim- 

^This  was  the  first  bookplate  engraved  by  J.  W.  Spenceley. 

[50] 


ination  for  their  artistic  qualities,  have  always 
the  fascination  of  beauty,  often  the  interest  of 
historical  association,  and  eventually  in  them- 
selves form  a  real  art  collection,  the  value  of 
which  grows  steadily  —  though  ofttimes  imper- 
ceptibly—  through  the  years. 

There  is  ample  justification  for  collecting 
bookplates  —  if  one  is  satisfied  to  collect  for  the 
sake  of  collecting  alone  —  but  the  pleasure  and 
profit  in  collecting  is  not  derived  wholly  from 
the  bookplate  itself;  and  the  collector  who  has 
worked  with  that  idea  in  mind  has  sadly  missed 
the  point.  The  bookplate,  as  has  already  been 
shown,  is  essentially  personal  and  herein  lies  the 
ultimate  charm  of  bookplate  collecting.  What 
true  collector  does  not  prize  the  friends  gained 
and  good  fellowship  created  in  acquiring  his 
collection  far  more  than  the  collection  itself, 
no  matter  how  valuable  it  may  be?  Letter  writ- 
ing—  now  regarded  as  one  of  the  lost  arts  — 
has  been  revived  and  under  the  inspiration  of 
the  bookplate  yields  many  a  delightful  cor- 
respondence, extending,  sometimes,  over  peri- 
ods of  many  years,  teeming  with  historical,  bio- 
graphical, and  genealogical  interest.  Let  me  ven- 
ture the  assertion  finally  that  if  there  were  more 
devotees  of  the  bookplate  and  their  operations 
in  collecting  were  extended  more  vigorously  in 
foreign  lands,  such  a  feeling  of  good  fellowship 
w^ould  eventually  exist  that  wars  would  be  no 
more;  the  Palace  at  The  Hague  would  be  turned 
into  an  international  bookplate  museum  and 
peace  reign  throughout  the  world. 

[5>] 


♦4#atiia 


[52] 


[53] 


[54] 


[55] 


■A=  HER-  Si@KS 


[56] 


"H    W         14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

tll^rJVSY   3CB00L  TilBRAR? 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 

Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

MAY  i  1 1971 

LD  21-40,«-l,b8                         ,,   .G^oeral  Library 
(H7452sl0)476                          ^'""'^^B^r^el^'**"''"* 

o.cb; 


tR^^£ 


BH^^lS 


COB"? 


BEBH^'^ 


